White smoke billowed over the Vatican on Thursday to signal a cardinal has been elected as the 267th leader of the Catholic Church. Why it matters: The newly elected pope, who has not yet been publicly named,

It took just two days for the College of Cardinals to elect a new Pope less than a month after the death of Francis

By Joshua McElwee, Crispian Balmer and Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - White smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel and the bells of St. Peter's rang out on Thursday, signalling that cardinals have elected a new pope to succeed Pope Francis and take charge of the Roman Catholic Church.